Valve apparatus



F.B,VAUGHN VALVE APPARATUS Filed April 21. 1924r attain/uf June 8, 1926.

SANA/M 1 ZJ, a Y

i" attentati vlune 8, 1926.

FRED '13, VAUGHN, OIFA LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA? ASSIGN`OR-BY DIRECT `ANDMES7NE= NT" @rf-rre ASSIGNMENTS, OF ON-EJ-IALFTO'IEEIS THOMAS, 0E .T OS-AIQ'GrEIrIESg,r CALIFORNIA.

VALVE arrannrus.

Application :nea April 21, 1924. serieu No. 'zorgea 'I his invention relates to valve apparatus,

and while features of the invention may be employed in the construction of valves for various purposes, the inventionis especially' applicable in valve apparatus used in deep wells. In such wells, itL is customary to provide a valve mounted in the flow-pipe at a .great depth in the well below which the pump plunger is located. With the usual construction, the valvev is mounted in the cient valve the flow-pipe, is so constructed as to enable the valve to be raised simply by pullingupthe polished rodand plunger.

A furtheiiobject of the invention is tofconstruct the valve in, suchval way that Twill occupy a relatively smallI amount of space.' and yetprovidle a relatively large area of opening past the valve member or valve members when-they are` lifted from their seats; also toprovide a: stuffing-box 'connect-y ed'4 withv the valvebody sov that'thel lifting of the valvelal'so raises the stuiiing-box.

Further objects of the invention will ap.- pear hereinafter.

Theinventi'on consists 'in the novel parts andfcoxnbination of partsfto bedescribed hereinafter, alljof which contribute to produce'an efficient valve apparatus.

A preferred embodiment of the invention isedescribedV in the following specification, while thebroad scope ofthe invention is pointed out inthe appended claims.

In the drawing:

Figure l is a vertical section through the flow pipe of a well to which my invention has been applied; A

FigQ is a cross section through the valve apparatus taken on the line 2#2ofFigu1-e l, but upon an, enlargedscale.I

Fig. 3 is also a crosssection,` but taken also upon an enlarged scale. v

Fig. t is a developed sectiontalrenon the line M of Figure 3 andpartly illfustrating the manner in which the inventionoperates The generall on the line 343 of Figure l; this view is' passage: for 'the fluidfpast` the valves.

InV applying my. invention to'zad'leep` Well,v

toV give an increased"later-alf areao'r' lateral I provide the flow pipe 1A witha speci-alf" and in the' present instance this valxfebodyl `3 is in the formof "ai plug Ehavinga;` plurality of verticalports* through"l which the liquid, for.` example oil', movesupwardly at," each Lip-'stroke offth'e pumpspistonf, Whichis'lo'- cated below the valve; Itachlof'the port-sill communicates atits upper en'di` with the co 1'- responding valve chamber 5;"v Ea'clfvalve chamber carries a valve`l member preferably in the form of a ball(jjeachfball, normally resting `uponfa seat 7 which" is formed bythe upper' end of'l the valve"openingor port'l 4l.'

The valve chamber-S5 are ferlnedinthe upper face. ofthe 'pliig'` and they are', of course, of slightly larger di'ameter'than the ball valves which they contain.A Inorder to provide increased" area of outletffor the liquid when4 the valvesriseloifth'eir seats provide a4 circumferential slot' S in the upper.` end `of the plug, tlfrreL "centerof which preferably coincides rkwith the circunffrentiail pitch liney onf whichl the; centers fof the valve openings4are'lcatedf This slet 8 opens` conununi'cation. i betweenn the valve chanel/ners"7 andwhen tliejballs 'risef off: their seatsth'e:lit/luid` flowing up ltheportsff' does not have to-dependupon"the area voffthe chamber to f exit', but can flow laterally intothe slot, as illustrated-by thearrows inl Figure lf "In-*this vvay I'provideagreaty ly increased" area of outlet for; 'the liquid when the'valve'sare in' their open positioin as illustrated inl Figure il. y

Any suitable meansmay be proi'zidedl for retaining the valves in the valve chambers'. For this purpose I; prefer to provide a keeper 'in the form'ofa perforated plate' 9, said"Y plate having -large'farcuate perforations l0 between which are radialarms Il, each radialarm beingv disposedy over one 'of the valves and' operat'ingtas4 a stop to arrest the upward movement ofthe valve and* prevent its dislodgment fronrtlie 'valve' chamber;

In order to" 'providef forliibric'atifng the pump rod or polished rodvv l2 and atv the same time secure thegkl'eeper plate Qinfposition, provide a stuffing boxllfsee yFigure l) the lower endf 'offwhich is provided "with a reduced neck 14 forming a shouldeil 15; the plate 9 has an opening 16 through Which the neck4 14 passes so that the shoulder 15 Will seat against the Lipper face of the plate at the edge of this opening. The lower end of the' neck 14; is provided with screw-threads 17. When the stuiiing box is tightened up the shoulder 15 will jam on the keeper plate and hold the same rigidly in place.

The upper part of the stufling box 13 carries a suitable vegetable packing 1S held in place by a gland 19 Whichis pressed down on the packing by a coil spring 2O held in a barrel 21 vvhich is attached by threads 22 to the outer side of' the stuiiing box.

The coupling 2 is provided With a tapered bore 23 andy the plug or valve body 3 is tapered so as to fit in this bore by being moved into the same from above.

In constructing the valve, it will be evident that the valve openings 4 and the valve chambers can be readily formed by drilling through the upper end of he valve body; the circumferential slot 8 can then be readily formed in the upper tace of the plug or valve body 3 by a lathe operation.

' It will be evident that this valve apparatus, although the valve members themselves may be small, Will aiord a relatively large area of outlet for the liquid when the valves s are off their seats, because the liquid 'flows out intothe arcuate portions of the slot 8 which form ducts connecting the valve chambers.

The lower end of the polished rod 12 cari ries a pump plunger 24 which is of suihgll) ciently smaller diameter to enable it to ypass through the tapered borek 23 When the polished rod is lowered into the Well. This plunger may be of any, suitable construction and usually includes a valve such as the ball valve 25. It it should benecessary to raise the plunger in order to get access to the same for the purpose of repair, or for any other purpose, it is merely necessary to pull the polished rod from the Well. In doing so, when the plunger reaches the valve body 3, it dislodges it from the tapered bore and raises it, together with the stuffingbox, to the mouth of the Well. In replacing the polished rod and iiXed valve in the Well, it is simply necessary to lower the polished rod With the valve plug 3 on the polished rod and supported by the plunger. As soon as the plug 3 reaches the tapered bore 23 it seats itself and the lowering of the polished rod is then continued until it reaches its proper position at the bottom of the Well.

By locating the valve body 3 at a low level in the well, it Will be evident that substantially all the Weight of the .column of liquid above the plunger can be taken on the valve members at the plug 3, and this tends to eliminate a Whipping action in the polished rod reciprocating it. The

flow oi the oil past the ball valves 6 takes place around the entire area of the under side ot each ball so that there is no tendency tor sand in the Water or oil being pumped to out or Wear the ball valves unevenly.

It is understood that the embodiment or the invention described herein is only one ot the many embodiments this invention may take, and I do not Wish to be limited in the practice ot the invention, nor in the claims, to the particular embodiment set forth.

What I claim is 1. In a valve apparatus, the combination ci a valve body having a plurality oi valve chambers with their corresponding valve openings below the valve chambers, and a valve operating in each valve chamber, said body having a circumferential slot in its end With arcuate ducts connecting the valve chambers, said arcuate ducts operating to provide a lateral passage increasing the area for the flow of liquid passing up through the valves.

2. In a valve apparatus for a pump, the combination of a flow pipe, a valve-body carried on the flow pipe, anl having a plurality of valve-chambers With their correspending valve openings, a valve operating 'in each valve chamber, said body having a circumferential slot in its end With arcuate ducts connecting the valve chambers, said arcuate ducts operating to provide a lateral passage increasing the area for the flow of the liquid past the valves.

3. In a valve apparatus for a pump, the combination of a flow pipe, a valve-body carried in the flow pipe, and having a plurality of valve-chambersy With their corresponding valve openings, a valve operating in each valve chamber, said body having a circumferential slot in its end With arcuate ducts connecting the valve chambers, said arcuate ducts operating to provide a lateral passage increasing the area for the flow of the liquid past the valves, and means above the valves for retaining them in the valve chambers.

4L. In a valve apparatus for a pump, the combination of a flow pipe, a valve-body carried in the flow pipe, and having a plurality of valve-chambers With theirl corresponding valve openings, a valve operating in each valve chamber, said body havingL a circumferential slot in its end connecting the valve chambers and operating to provide a lateral passage for the 'liquid past the valves, a pump rod passing through the valve body, a perforated keeper for retaining the valves in their valve chambers, and a stuffing box for the rod above the keeper and supported on the valve body.

5.In a valve apparatus for a pump, the

combination of a flow pipe, a valve body in the form of a plug carried in the iioW pipe lll) and having a plurality of valve chambers uith their corresponding valve openings in the upper end or' the plug, a ball valve operating in each valve chamber, said body having a circumferential slot in its end connecting the valve chambers and operating to provide a lateral passage for the liquid past the ball valves, a keeper in the form of a perforated plate seating on the body to retain the ball valves, a stuing box secured in the upper end of the body and retaining the perforated keeper in position, and a pump rod passing through the said body and through the stuffing box.

6. ln a valve apparatus for a pump, the combination of a How pipe having a coupling in the same With a tapered bore,

a valve body in the form of a plug seating in the tapered bore, said valve body having a plurality of vertical openings leading therethrough With valve seats at their upper ends, ball valves received on the seats, said body having a valve chamber corresponding to each ball valve ornied in its upper end and having a circumferential slot With arcuate ducts connecting the valve chambers, said arcuate ducts operating to provide a lateral passage increasing the area for the flow of the liquid past the valves, and means for retaining the ball valves in their valve chambers.

Signed at Los Angeles, Calif., this 9th day of April, 1924. Y

FRED B. VAUGHN. 

